“The new location gives us nearly twice as much square footage to serve our members with more programs and to provide seniors in the community with more home-based services,” said Maureen Fagans, executive director of United Senior Services. “These programs and services are critical to helping Clark County seniors enjoy a high quality of life.”
The deal was part of a 12-year strategic expansion plan to better serve the county’s growing senior population, Fagans said. The organization is currently located at 101 S. Fountain Ave., a building it has leased from the city since 1981.
Springfield City Manager Jim Bodenmiller said Monday he’s glad that USS is staying downtown. Bodenmiller also said city officials will likely hold off on discussing plans for the Fountain Avenue building until next year because USS is not expected to move to their new building until 2016.
The new building will include classroom space, a fitness facility, improved technology, a cafeteria and a teaching kitchen, she said.
“We don’t have the technology that the new renovations will offer, like WiFi,” said Fagans. “It’s such a part of older adults’ lives now. We’re planning services for a very different demographic of seniors now. The seniors that we serve tomorrow will be very different from the seniors we serve today.”
The current building is about 25,000 square feet, but the new building is nearly twice that size at 48,000 square feet, Fagans said.
USS was founded in 1968 and serves adults aged 55 and older in Clark County. The organization has six locations across the county and seven nutrition sites. It serves 4,700 members, up about 25 percent from last year, and employs 101 people, Fagans said.
She added that the Eagles are expected to lease space in USS’s new building for a short time, for a maximum of a year.
The Eagles, meanwhile, are negotiating the purchase of the former municipal pool facility on N. Bechtle Avenue, said Pete Noonan, real estate agent for the Eagles. Noonan said he anticipates that the Eagles will complete a deal on the property soon.
Renovations of the building on West Main Street will begin in 2015, after the Eagles vacate the property, Fagans said. She anticipates that USS employees will transition to the new location by May 2016.
Darrell Kitchen, president of the USS Board of Trustees, said it was important for the organization to remain downtown. He also said the purchase of the new building is part of a continued effort to improve services for seniors.
In 2012, United Senior Services purchased the lot of the former Arcue Building for $850,000 after the downtown building was razed with plans to provide extra parking for its members.
“This (purchase) will allow us to grow, and there’s no additional cost to the members because we planned for it and have been saving for it for a long time,” Kitchen said.
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